Monday Feb 25, 2008

The West End's time in the spotlight is over; East London has emerged as the capital's rising star according to Lonely Planet's new London guidebook.

Author Steve Fallon said "A few years ago the West End had a lot of the draw cards for Londoners and visitors alike, now its position is being challenged on every level. The Docklands have become the key financial hub, the clubs and bars in the east of the capital are thriving on their cool reputation, whilst the West End's nightlife is associated with overpriced drinks and z-list celebrities. Even Wembley seems to have been surpassed by The 02 which is becoming the venue for the World's biggest artists."

The 6th edition of the guide heaps praise on revived areas in the east of the city, including Clerkenwell, Shoreditch and Spitalfields - 'London's most creative and exciting districts' - 'supercool Hoxton Square' and 'fantastic Brick Lane'. (page 58) The book also notes that; 'Signs of wealth have started to trickle into the areas around Whitechapel and Aldgate East. Property prices have risen enormously in Mile End, Bethnal Green and Bow, and there's even been a growing focus on ramshackle Hackney and Dalston, which will find itself with a station once the East London line extension is completed in 2010."(p155)

As well as these areas being on the up, huge developments such as the Thames Gateway and the Olympics have led the authors to declare that 'the future belongs to the east'. (p 58)

If this wasn't bad news enough for the West End the guide also singles out the East End as: ' 'real' London,' (p58) a place which is both cosmopolitan and traditional. "Anyone interested in modern, multicultural London should visit the East End." (p155)

Though not at the same pace as east London, the capital as a whole has steadily improved over the last decade. The book declares that "As the British capital gears up for the Olympics being held here in 2012, there's everything to play for and the city has rarely felt so exciting and full of reasons to visit." (p2)

There are other interesting developments in the city. "London has undergone a food revolution in the past decade and nowhere is this more obvious than at the organic farmers' markets and cutting-edge restaurants of the capital. Add to this newly liberalised drinking laws, a roundly welcomed smoking ban and a fantastic music scene and London makes for one of the best places for a night out on the planet." (p3)

The book also talks about "the resurgence of London's music scene, with new talent from the capital bubbling over after a surprisingly long post-Britpop lull." (p2) Transport developments including the congestion charge and the increased numbers of bus and bike lanes are also cited as making the capital a better place to live.

However visitors should beware "Londoners love to gripe about their city, but if you join in with anything other than gentle fun-poking they're likely to get quite annoyed with you. After all, as they'll almost certainly remind you, this is the greatest city in the wor..."(p3)

What London says about...

*THE OLYMPICS

"Londoners have already become somewhat cynical about the Olympics, worried as they are about the financial drain and local tax hikes the future games have caused, but they remain quietly proud that London will be the first triple Olympic city in history and will happily shrug off any doubts from outsiders." (p3)

*MULTICULTURAL LONDON

"London has been a beacon for people around the world for centuries, seamlessly absorbing their colourful influences while remaining quintessentially British."(p2)

"Whoever you are, wherever you're from, you'll feel at home in London." (p30)

*EATING

"London's victories in the culinary arena over the past dozen or so years have been nothing short of phenomenal... London has caught up with and, in some respects, overtaken its European cousins. Just don't count on value for money. We can't count the number of times we've dropped over £40 a head for refined Italian food or the ubiquitous Modern European that tasted like it had been microwaved (ding!), and wondered why we'd bothered. On the other hand we've had Pakistani food in Whitechapel, Turkish in Dalston and Malaysian in Notting Hill that has made our hearts sing, our tastebuds zing and our wallets only slightly lighter." (p236)

Places and attractions...

*BETHNAL GREEN & HACKNEY

"While neither district is on the tourist trail, both repay a visit amply."(p157)

*DOCKLANDS
"the Docklands, the East End's southern extension, today is a world of contrasts. Eye-catching bridges across docks and futuristic buildings dominate the skyline; it really is today's view of London's future. But it is also an area rich in history, too, and the Museum in Docklands brings it all to life." (p155)

SHOREDITCH, SPITALFIELDS, CLERKENWELL

"This area of northeast London is the city's ground zero of cool, and its success at the expense of other nightlife areas such as Soho continues to astound pretty much everyone... the regenerated area is flourishing stronger than ever. The entire neighbourhood remains rough enough around the edges to feel a bit of an adventure, but even the partial redevelopment of Spitalfields Market hasn't stopped it in it tracks, and it remains one of London's best nightlife scenes."(p148)

SOUTH BANK

"The transformation of this neighbourhood, which was until relatively recently considered to be the 'wrong' side of the Thames, has been nothing short of astonishing. This is where new London faces off old London, and both come out winners."(p125)

*THE CITY

"The ancient, hallowed streets of the City are some of London's most fascinating... What the City lacks in great hangouts and community it more than makes up for with a wealth of historic sights and fascinating museums." (p109)

*TOWER OF LONDON

"The absolute kernel of London with a history as bleak and bloody as it is fascinating, the Tower of London should be first on anyone's list of London's sights. Despite ever-growing ticket prices and the hoards of tourists that descend here in the summer months, this is one of those rare pleasures: somewhere worth the hype."(p119)

WHITECHAPEL

"Alongside a couple of interesting museums you'll find some of London's best-value Asian cuisine in Whitechapel, as well as some of its most colourful markets. You may also want to pop into the trend-setting Whitechapel Art Gallery or take a dip in the beautifully renovated London Fields Lido." (p155)